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Lamor Whitehead, celebrated for decorator suits and jewels, had himself been the unfortunate of a brazen equipped robbery. Now, helium faces an array of national fiscal fraud charges.
Dec. 19, 2022Updated 2:12 p.m. ET
Lamor Whitehead, a flamboyant Brooklyn pastor who was the unfortunate of a brazen equipped robbery past summer, was arrested connected Monday connected charges of fraud, extortion and lying to national authorities.
Federal prosecutors successful Manhattan said Bishop Whitehead solicited wealth from victims, including a retired parishioner, done threats oregon mendacious promises of enriching them, past kept the wealth for himself.
His lawyer, Dawn Florio, said, “Bishop Whitehead denies these allegations, and we are going to combat them vigorously.”
He was expected to look successful national tribunal successful Manhattan connected Monday afternoon.
Bishop Whitehead, 44, was thrust into the nationalist oculus connected July 24, erstwhile equipped robbers rushed into his tiny Brooklyn church, Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries. The masked men arrived during his sermon, which was being streamed connected the internet, and stole jewelry and different spot from him and his wife.
Two men were charged successful Brooklyn national tribunal successful September successful transportation with the robbery. For Bishop Whitehead, the charges were thing of a vindication — the robbery had drawn attraction to his costly idiosyncratic tastes and raised questions astir his past.
The charges connected Monday accused Bishop Whitehead of behaviour that predated the robbery and indicated that the authorities successful Manhattan had been investigating him good earlier the events of the summer.
He faces 1 number each of ligament fraud, attempted ligament fraud, attempted extortion and mendacious statements.
In outpouring 2022, according to the indictment unsealed Monday, Bishop Whitehead tried to transportation a businessman to springiness him $500,000 and a involvement successful immoderate real-estate transactions. In exchange, Bishop Whitehead promised to unafraid favorable actions from the metropolis that would marque some of them “millions,” adjacent though, according to the indictment, helium knew helium had nary quality to present connected his pledge.
While the indictment does not sanction immoderate metropolis officials oregon specify immoderate actions, the bishop has antecedently claimed a relationship with Mayor Eric Adams. On Monday, a spokesperson for the politician pointed toward comments Mr. Adams made successful July, successful which helium acknowledged his narration with the bishop, but said “no one’s supra the law.”
Early successful Bishop Whitehead’s narration with the unnamed businessman, the cleric besides utilized threats of unit to get $5,000 from a concern the businessman owned, prosecutors said. At the absorption of instrumentality enforcement officials, the businessman made the payment, according to the indictment.
The charges related to the retired religion subordinate were initially revealed successful a 2021 suit filed successful Brooklyn and an investigation into the bishop’s wealth. In 2020, a pistillate who had precocious visited the religion was recovering from surgery, prosecutors said. Bishop Whitehead offered to assistance her bargain a caller home, and the woman, Pauline Anderson, 56, sent him $90,000 that she had withdrawn from her status account, according to a lawsuit.
“I americium a antheral of integrity, and you volition not lose,” helium texted her. She asked for her wealth back, but helium said it was excessively late, arsenic it had already been invested.
The mendacious connection number arises from an brushwood with FBI agents during the probe into his conduct, according to the indictment. The agents executed a hunt warrant for the bishop’s mobile phones, and helium told them helium had lone 1 erstwhile successful information helium had a 2nd phone.
Since the robbery astatine his religion and the property scrutiny that followed, Bishop Whitehead has portrayed himself arsenic a unfortunate of racism and shaming. In a livestream connected Instagram from his location connected Sunday — the congregation stopped gathering astatine the religion respective weeks agone — helium said the tumultuous summertime was a trial of his character.
“Do you each cognize the satellite was against me? The world!” helium said. “They laid the media outside, everyplace I turned, idiosyncratic taking pictures. They’re talking astir me, and they’re conscionable laying there, waiting to termination maine successful the morning.”
“Everybody thought that I was a villain,” helium said, “but present they’re seeing I was anointed by God.”
Less than 24 hours later, helium was arrested.
Bishop Whitehead, arsenic a young man, was a owe broker with an bureau successful the Empire State Building. But successful 2008, helium was convicted of respective charges, including individuality theft, successful Long Island, wherever helium had taken retired loans successful different people’s names and utilized the wealth for cars and motorcycles, according to grounds brought astatine his trial. He spent 5 years successful prison.
When helium emerged successful 2013, helium instantly founded his church, based connected the prosperity gospel, which emphasizes the benefits of accumulating wealthiness portion worshiping God. He wore decorator suits and drove luxury vehicles.
But according to tribunal records, Bishop Whitehead’s persona arsenic the alleged bling bishop had led to heavy debt.
In 2019, helium stopped making his monthly payments connected a Mercedes-Benz and a Range Rover successful New Jersey, starring to a $68,000 judgement against him. That aforesaid year, helium wrote a atrocious cheque for $164,000 to the institution that built his location successful Paramus, N.J., according to a lawsuit.
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